All hair donated during the Locks of Love drive will be used to make prosthetic hairpieces for children in need

By Daisy Hassani
Gargoyle assistant editor
Posted Tuesday, April 25, 2006, The OG, features

Do you wake up in the morning and admire your long and lovely locks? Do people constantly compliment your Rapunzelesque hair? Have you considered putting your silken strands to good use?

If you have 10 or more inches of hair that you are willing to part with and have an interest in helping children in need, wait no longer; the Locks of Love hair drive is right around the corner.

The drive will be held Sunday in two shifts: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m. at Allen Residence Hall, located at 1005 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana. Professional stylists will be on hand to cut hair for anyone who wants to donate.

Locks of Love is a nonprofit organization that provides prosthetic hairpieces to financially underprivileged children. Most of these children lost their hair due to alopecia areata, a medical condition with no known cure. By donating to Locks of Love, people provide the hair that goes into creating these hairpieces.

Anyone with at least 10 inches of clean hair can donate to the drive. The hair can be permed or dyed, but not chemically damaged.

This year the drive is being organized by juniors Krista Olson and Beckaa Wallig along with Allen Hall resident assistant Kim Kentfield.

According to Olson, Kentfield's participation has been important in getting the word out beyond the walls of Uni.

“I'm hoping to have the campus more aware of the hair drive by having the U of I involved,” says Olson.

The drive has grown this year by having a full-day event instead of a half-day one, as it has been in the past. Olson also helped to plan the drive held in Uni Gym two years ago. She worked with Uni alum Ma'ayan Weinberg, Class of 2004, on that event.

“The drive was very successful,” says Olson. “We wanted to expand it this year.”

Anyone interested in donating can make an appointment at the front desk of Allen Hall. Walk-ins will also be accepted.

For those who wish they could find a way to give back, the Locks of Love hair drive is a great place to start, according to Olson.

“It's an easy way for people to get involved and help people without much effort,” she says. “Anyone can do it as long as they have hair.”